1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of compilation and code generation of object code executable upon a computer. More particularly, the invention concerns compiling a data set from user-activated links within the comments portion of a program. The data set can thereafter be linked to procedure calls within an applications program to, for example, configure a logic device.
2. Description of the Related Art
There may be numerous steps involved in creating a complex computer program. A program that can execute on a computer is often referred to as the object code or execution code. Such code is specific to the computer and, more particularly, to the specific execution unit of that computer. For example, the execution code may contain instructions indigenous to the microprocessor (or execution unit) of that computer.
There are numerous types of programming languages that can be reduced to an execution code. One popular such language is the C programming language. Programs written in C can be assembled into an execution code listing specific to almost any execution unit. As such, the C programming language can support numerous types of execution units.
In order to formulate execution code, it may be necessary to compile the code from a source file. Compilers are generally unique to various types of source files. Such compilers recognize particular source files and compile those source files into an execution code listing (object code) recognizable to the execution unit.
Compiling the source code into execution code can occur in various ways. For example, the user can write code in a text editor. Once the user is satisfied with the written code, he/she can then save the code to a file and perform syntax checks by parsing the code using a compiler. A utility program can then be used to assemble or generate the execution code, which can thereafter be stored as an output file. In the above methodology, the user writes and edits code in a text editor format and, when satisfied with what has been written, assembles the code in the final, execution code format.
A more sophisticated code generation technique may be used, however. For example, the user may respond to a series of questions. Based on the user's response, a program file can be produced. The program file is a rudimentary form of the text editor file that can thereafter be modified by the user before running the assembler utility. By answering a sequence of questions, the user will invoke an application builder tool.
Whether code is compiled manually or through a series of questions, the conventional methodology for code generation is through use of a text editor and, after text has been edited, assembling that code into an object or execution file for use by the execution unit. While text is easily understood by the human editor and thus files in text format are beneficial, generating code from a text editor is sometimes cumbersome and time consuming. Also, it is not always easy for a user to determine the relationship between his/her edits made to the text editor and the resulting, compiled code. Therefore, it would be desirable to derive a less cumbersome and less time-consumptive process of generating execution code. A desired process would be one which allows the user to easily and quickly edit text using a more recognized Graphical User Interface (“GUI”), and to visually track the changes made using the GUI to resultant changes in a source file. These benefits are currently lacking in conventional code generation techniques employing text editors.